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18th dynasty, Egypt
(c. 1400 v.Chr.)
This Egyptian wall painting, dating from around 1400 BC, depicts the poor gatekeeper Ruma bringing an offering to the goddess Ishtar to cure him of his lameness.
♦ Painted stele of the gatekeeper Ruma ♦
♦ Diagnosis:
Main symptoms: atrophied muscles, shortened right leg, contracted Achilles tendon
Additional symptoms: young man, uses a long walking stick
Clinical diagnosis: acute anterior poliomyelitis
♦ Definition: acute anterior poliomyelitis
A viral inflammation of the anterior columns of the grey matter of the spinal cord.
It mainly affects children, in whom it leads to paralysis of certain muscle groups or of an entire limb.
The disease strikes suddenly, with fever, gastrointestinal symptoms and pain in the affected muscles. The paralysis is usually most pronounced at the outset, often followed by a slight improvement. The affected muscles atrophy rapidly, their reflexes disappear and a degenerative process develops. Muscle contractures may lead to new deformities later in life. The disease is endemic, with epidemic outbreaks.
Some cases do not present with paralysis. In such cases, the diagnosis can only be made by analysing cerebrospinal fluid.
♦ Discussion:
The universal compulsory vaccination programme against poliomyelitis has virtually eradicated the disease since 1960 in the countries that took part.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) hopes to be able to prevent all new cases of polio in the near future
Source: Jan Dequeker
♦ Poliomyelitis,
also known as infantile paralysis or, for short, polio, is a viral disease.
(Greek: polio = grey, myelitis = inflammation of the spinal cord).
It is an inflammation of the grey matter in the spinal cord.
This disease is caused by the poliovirus, which is an enterovirus belonging to the Picornaviridae family (pico-RNA-viridae: small RNA viruses).
The virus is excreted in the stools of infected individuals.
Poor hygiene can lead to the virus being transmitted from one person to another. The incubation period is usually 6–20 days, though it can be slightly longer or shorter.
Nowadays, polio usually progresses without serious symptoms; around 95 per cent of ‘patients’ notice little or nothing of the disease. However, these people do spread the poliovirus. Around 5 per cent experience some vague general symptoms such as a sore throat or abdominal discomfort.Muscle paralysis occurs in less than 1 per cent of those infected. This is mainly caused by poliovirus type 1.
There is officially no treatment for polio.
Paintings
Fight Between Carnival and Lent, Pieter Bruegel in 1559
two crippled figures appear; although this artistic testimony is not formal proof of poliomyelitis, it strongly suggests that both suffered from the disease.
Studies of Beggars and Vagrants, Hieronymus Bosch or Pieter Bruegel the Elder
also captures the cruel effects of the disease.
Sad Legacy, Joaquín Sorolla 1899
represented a group of children probably with sequels of poliomyelitis bathing at Valencia’s beach.
Christina’s World, Andrew Wyeth’s, 20th-century American art
where the woman who suffered from polio is saw making her slow crawl across the yard.